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brightpennies said:
I'm raising poults for the first time this year. I know they eat different feed (protein %) than the other babies, but people also say they raise them with chicks for the first few days because the chicks will show them how to eat, and turkeys are... slow. Maybe not so bright. Other than making your brooder extra stupid-proof and using different feed, aren't their needs pretty similar? :confused:  Asking out of legitimate ignorance, not smartmouthing.

@Just Ducky10
, sounds like you've got quite a menagerie! I like your attitude -- down to only 44+3. Chicken/poultry math is my greatest weakness. I hope you get that poor wandering duck sorted out without too much difficulty.
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I feed everyone, regardless of age or species about 22% grower/starter. Everyone does fine on it. I just make sure that there's oyster shell for my layers. My poults from last spring grew up big and strong :) occasionally, I'd make them a scrambled egg or something but really didn't add much extra protein than that.
 
chiques chicks said:
Since everyone keeps wanting turkey, I got mine from a gentleman outside of Middletown (just south of Harrisburg) last spring. I believe he sells poults every year, probably doesn't have any at the moment. He doesn't sell them until they are a week old, as many people aren't aware of the differences between raising poults and chicks. I believe they were $12 last year, although I bought a lot and got a discount (15/$140, all he had at the time). Bourbon red.
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I hope there is a lot of demand for turkey poults. Yesterday I collected 8 eggs from the 6 Black Mottled hens. Not sure how that happened, they are normally not very clever about hiding eggs, but perhaps I was distracted the previous day. Fertility has not been great (which is ok, I don't think I can sell as many as the eggs they produce), but 2 more Midget Whites hatched yesterday.

I free ranged another tom, that makes 5 that are prowling around the farm, gobbling whenever they hear a loud noise. At least that is a lot more pleasant to the ear than those guineas shrieking. Has anyone here had much experience free-ranging turkeys? Is there any certain age that they do better? Maybe I can find a broody hen and switch her eggs with some turkey eggs that are close to hatch and let her teach them the ways of the farm. It'd be funny watching a hen try to get a flock of month old turkeys under her wings at night.
 
dheltzel said:
I hope there is a lot of demand for turkey poults. Yesterday I collected 8 eggs from the 6 Black Mottled hens. Not sure how that happened, they are normally not very clever about hiding eggs, but perhaps I was distracted the previous day. Fertility has not been great (which is ok, I don't think I can sell as many as the eggs they produce), but 2 more Midget Whites hatched yesterday.
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I hope there is a lot of demand this year also. I have 14 in the bator looking good and due to hatch next week, about 37 more in that I haven't checked on yet, and another 18 eggs on the counter to be set Friday lol.

Yesterday we went to the farm show for the first time ever. It was pretty cool. Some of those cows and horses were HUGE! I really liked the sheep and my daughter was loving the rabbits. I really wish there was some poultry to check out though. While we were in the area, we met up with a lady to pick up a couple silkie babies.

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They are sweet little things but the way she had them packaged up I couldn't get a good look at them at first. We got home and realized the one is a cross beak. It's not horrible yet but it's obvious. Very disappointing :/
 
chiques chicks said:
Other than teaching them to eat and making sure they don't drown the first few days or a week, they are pretty easy to raise.

I feed flock raiser to everything most of the time. All ages. Or the 20% starter feed. On very rare occasion I will buy a bag of higher protein, but just find it easier to just keep one. I don't feed medicated starter to anything, so I don't know about that. I have a chicken breed that can't handle medicated.
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I currently feed everybody the flock raiser as well. So the turkeys and chickens all eat it and nobody seems to have a problem with it. Will probably buy a small bag of chick starter for the eggs in the bator but other than that they will eat the same thing everybody else does.
 
Auroradream26 said:


They are sweet little things but the way she had them packaged up I couldn't get a good look at them at first. We got home and realized the one is a cross beak. It's not horrible yet but it's obvious. Very disappointing
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Do you have experience with cross beaks? If not, please go to the "Diary of a crossbeak" thread. When a chick is born with it, it is hereditary, and they shouldn't be bred. It will get worse, but all is not lost.
 
MotorcycleChick said:
Do you have experience with cross beaks? If not, please go to the "Diary of a crossbeak" thread. When a chick is born with it, it is hereditary, and they shouldn't be bred. It will get worse, but all is not lost.
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I will definitely not be breeding him/her. it's not too bad yet but it's obvious. I'm going to do what I can for her for now but if anyone would like a silkie, I'm planning to try to rehome her. The person who sold her to me is going to replace her with two next time I'm up there. She feels bad about it.
 
dheltzel said:
This morning I found 5 BCM's and 3 Bielefelders in the hatcher !!
The first BF's from my breeders and the first BCM's of the year.
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dheltzel said:
This morning I found 5 BCM's and 3 Bielefelders in the hatcher !!
The first BF's from my breeders and the first BCM's of the year.
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Congtrats! Let's see some pics! :D

dheltzel said:
I hope there is a lot of demand for turkey poults. Yesterday I collected 8 eggs from the 6 Black Mottled hens. Not sure how that happened, they are normally not very clever about hiding eggs, but perhaps I was distracted the previous day. Fertility has not been great (which is ok, I don't think I can sell as many as the eggs they produce), but 2 more Midget Whites hatched yesterday.

I free ranged another tom, that makes 5 that are prowling around the farm, gobbling whenever they hear a loud noise. At least that is a lot more pleasant to the ear than those guineas shrieking. Has anyone here had much experience free-ranging turkeys? Is there any certain age that they do better? Maybe I can find a broody hen and switch her eggs with some turkey eggs that are close to hatch and let her teach them the ways of the farm. It'd be funny watching a hen try to get a flock of month old turkeys under her wings at night.
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I'm hoping to see this too! I had to go away overnight, I'm hoping my broody got back on the right nest. Sometimes she gets on the other girls' eggs. Fingers crossed!
 
@dheltzel I have never intentionally free ranged turkey, but...
My first flock regularly for the coop (run) at whatever she they figured it out. Of course I'd herd them back to feed them.
My current run is enclosed, but I have the three wild type and two royal palms that showed up and stayed free ranging on the property. I don't know their she, but the toms beards are just starting to show, so I would estimate they are around 6 months. It is so cool to look up in the evening and see them roosting 20-30 feet up in a dead tree! The other day I was out feeding the goats and the the wild type decided to fly 100 yard across the road to the neighbors yard and field. Right over my head. They are so amazing in flight.
 

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